Joyce Carol Oates Reading Challenge

Now that both rompers have successfully completed the Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge (and a whole month early!), we have selected a very different challenge and it will last for the month of December.

We have each choosen works by Joyce Carol Oates to read during the month of December. While Dani has selected a novella, short stories and one novel, Karen choose two novels. Both rompers will read approximately 1400 pages of Oates' prolific writing.

After the genre challenge that touched on genres, neither of us read very frequently, we decided to work on texts by the same author.

Karen will be reading Blonde and What I Lived For, beginning with Blonde.

We hope to have a discussion posted about similar themes in the texts we read along with reviews.

So, 1400 pages by Joyce Carol Oates read December 1 - December 31, 2009. Join us if you can!

Now Playing: New Moon

On November 20th, thousands of teenage girls flooded into theaters to see the next installment of the Twilight Sage...New Moon. In case some of our readers have been under a rock for the past 2 years, the Twilight saga is a novel series (and now film) that has swept the nation. The saga is about an average girl who moves to Forks, Oregon where she falls in love with a vampire. Originally from Arizona, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) decides to move to Oregon to live with the father that she barely knows in the town that still remembers her as a little girl before her parents divorced. It is there that she meet Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a student at Bella's high school. Edward to arrogant, stand-offish, and has made it a point to not date anyone in Forks...until now. Edward is captivated by Bella and the two fall in love, though they must keep Edward's vampire identity a secret.

In New Moon, Edward dumps Bella and flees to Italy with his vampire family. Bella mourns for months until she rekindles her friendship with Jacob, a Native American boy who lives on the local reservation. Jacob is smitten with Bella and the two seem to have some sexual tension that is only exacerbated by Jacob's confession to Bella that he is a werewolf. Conflict arises when Edward's sister, Alice, returns to Forks to find Bella and bring her back to Italy where Edward has decided to kill himself.

The film is filled with as much angst and poor acting as a Dawson's Creek marathon. The tension between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen pales in comparison to that between Bella and Jacob. However, the irony lays in the fact that Stewart and Pattison are in a relationship with each other in "real life". The film is filled with everything that is bad in a chick-flick such as poor acting, a bad script, and sparkly vampires. Yet, it lacks everything that is good about chick flicks such as corny love scenes, stereotypical confessions of longing, and the upholding of actual vampire folklore. Overall, save your money and time and wait for it to come out on DVD so you can make fun of it in your own home.

-DLP

Now Playing: The Blindside

Last week, The Blindside opened in theaters across the country heralding a superstar cast including Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Kathy Bates (among others). The movie was advertised as a feel-good movie about a young homeless boy who finds love and family in a white southern family. However, the movie is much more than that! The story is really about a young African-American boy, Michael Oher, who lived in the Memphis projects with his drug-addicted mother. At a young age, he was taken from his mother and placed in various foster families from which he always escaped. By coincidence, he was enrolled in a preppy, white, christian school where he was considered an outcast by both students and parents. At this time, Oher was homeless and found food by collecting alreayd eaten popcorn leftover after athletic games at the school. One day, Leigh Ann Tuney (Sandra Bullock) finds Michael walking down the street in the cold and welcomes him to sleep on her family's couch. Within months, Michael becomes part of the family and is accepted by Leigh Ann's husband, and two children. Of course there are difficulties that arise, but Michael is soon placed on the football team. With the help of a tutor (Kathy Bates), Michael becomes eligible to attend college.

The aspect that makes this feel-good movie more than just a stereotypical tearjerker is that it is a true story with as much pain as it has happiness. The first 45 minutes of the movie has the audience clutching their guts in hopes that the sorrow experienced by Michael will hopefully subside. Though his circumstances improve a great deal, the film never lets the audience forget Michael's past and therefore keeps it ever looming in the back of the audience's mind. The characters are real, and they should be, because they are based on real people.

Overall, it is the perfect holiday movie! It makes everyone want to jump up from their seats and give back to those less fortunate. I was not a fan of Sandra Bullock before this movie, but I now have to say that she did an excellent job. I often find tearjerker movies to be annoying and shallow, which this movie is neither. The autenticity of the story is further bolstered by the ending of the movie in which actual photographs of Michael Oher and the Tuney family are projected on the screen alongside the credits. There is even footage of Oher being drafted for the Ravens by the NFL in which Oher and the Tuney's are shown together. The sentiments and values that this film embodied touched my heart and I am sure that it did the same to the other viewers in the theater. It may even get me interested in football! (though...probably not)

-DLP

Once Upon a Time Update: We're Done!

The Once Upon a Time challenge was the first reading challenge that I have ever done and I have to say that it truly was a challenge in the best and worst sense of the word. I found myself reading in genres that I had previously been completely uninterested in. I read titles that I would never have thought of touching before this challenge and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Fantasy is not that scary and (at least in the case of The City of Ember) not that fantastical. I was pleased to discover that contemporary fairy tales no longer reek of sexism. I was excited that modern-day fairy tales have been made into graphic novels and comics, two forms that can truly express the visual and textual elements of fairy tales. I was most impressed by the non-fiction selection that I chose for the folktale reading. Previous to this challenge, I had sworn off Zora Neale Hurston and her writings. However, this challenge actually brought me back to her and I am proud to say that I will be reading more of her works. The only selection that disappointed me was the reading I chose for mythology. Still, it made me read outside of my comfort zone which is rare for me.

Overall, I found the experiece to be a good one. Looking forward, I will not cast aside young adult novels as irrelevant to my life; I will not continue to view fairy tales as inappropriately sexist; I will agreed to read authors that I have previously removed from my library; and I will never again read a Tom Stoppard play!

On to the next challenge!

-DLP

Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge: Happily Ever After?

After finishing Robert Coover's Pinocchio in Venice I felt disappointed. Though the plot frequently nods to the original tale, Coover offers a complicated, meandering and repetitive plot that never serves to further the story of Pinocchio or clarify the lessons he should learn. Coover's references to the original story are often lost or twisted within the complex story as Pinocchio meets old friends and enemies, revisiting the city of his birth. As I read I continually hoped that this book would offer clarity as to why and how Pinocchio became a boy, wondering the secret to unlock the magic of his transformation. However, Coover offers none of this, scattering his text with unlikeable and characters lacking any redeeming qualities. All the characters Pinocchio encounters are selfish, greedy and guileful. Additionally, Coover muddies the timeline of Pinocchio's life, refers to events from centuries ago, making it unclear how long Pinocchio existed as a puppet and a then as a boy. Coover created a dark world where Gepetto was an abusive alcoholic, depressed by his life and uncaring for Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy emerges as female figure who desperately wanted to fit into the human world by any means necessary and mothering Pinocchio became on of her strategies. Coover's work is twisted and depressing and became a chore to read.

The Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge introduced me to some new texts and left me curious to read more. Though reading some traditionally told fairy tales may make me feel nostalgic about my youth, works that re-envision the fairy tale interest me more. I am curious how to reconcile progressive feminist views about women with the females represented in fairy tales. Every little girl loves the idea of a princess, but how do we empower them with these stories? I know I loved the princesses in fairy tales because they are pretty and wear beautiful dresses, therefore I wanted to be like them in some way. That is not a message I want to perpetuate, yet fairy tales are a part of our culture. I want to share the fun of fairy tales as many texts build on these tropes and weave images into new stories, but I want to show young children that the girl can rescue the guy, or that one can take charge of her own life instead of blithely complying with the masses. Yet, I know some concepts I'd like to reinvent are beyond the comprehension of a young child (like explaining why some gals think "someday my princess will come" instead of prince). The role of fairy tales in modern storytelling will certainly evolve and I'd like to find a way to maintain the fun of traditional fairy tales while presenting more realistic world views. Though the Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge has come to an end for the rompers, I've got a few more books on my wish list to check out.

- KER

Book Review: Isis

For the months of October and November, I try to read as many gothic novels, novellas, and short stories as possible. It is for this reason that I put Isis by Douglas Clegg on my list for this year. The story is of a young girl, Iris, and her two brothers who live in a house with their cloistered mother and mentally ill grandfather. Iris finds solace in her friendship with her brother, Horace, and the gothic tales that the gardner tells her. Tragedy strikes when Harvey dies in a horrific accident that causes her to create a bargin with Death that will allow Harvey to come back to her. Of course, the deal is not what she expected and Iris must choose between her brother's happiness and her own.

Perhaps the most interesting and likeable aspect of the book, are illustrations that are interspered throughout the novella. They beautiful black and white sketches that correspond with the current action, however, they add even more to the novel than the text does. Though there are gotthic aspects in the novella, I felt that the pictures are what gave the novel its eerie tone and creepy atmosphere.

Overall, I was disappointed by this selection. After doing some background reading on the novella, I found that this is in fact the prequel to one of Clegg's series. Yet, having read this book first, it is doubful that I will pick up another one of his works. Perhaps it would have been better if Clegg merely worked the background of these characters into the rest of his series and not created an entire novella dedicated to this story because it does not seem to be able to stand alone as a novella.

-DLP

DystopYA Challenge: Armageddon Summer

For my final young adult novel in the DystopYA challenge with Books on the Nightstand, I read Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. The plot follows two teenagers, Jed and Marina, as their parents drag them into a millennium cult known as The Believers as they prepare for the world to end on July 27th. The Believers, led by a reverand from Boston, decide to camp on a mountaintop in western Massachusetts where they believe they will be saved from the end of the world. The story is told in alternating voices between Jed and Marina who meet on the mountain and consequently fall in love. Neither teenager believes in the mission of The Believers but they both follow their parents in order to protect them and their siblings.

Many may not view this work as a distopian novel because it is set in present day and does not have any fantasy or science fiction elements. However, it is perhaps scarier than the "traditional" distopian works because it is set in the present day and concerns a social issue that could easily arise within our lifetime. What makes this book a distopian novel are The Believers who remove themselves from conventional society in order to build their own distopian civilization at the top of the mountain. As is with all distopian societies, The Believers come to a tragic and brutal end. Though the reader can see something horrific apporaching on the horizon, the ending is still a surprise.

Many adult readers may disregard this book because it is marketed to young adults. However, I found the novel to be an excellent read for all ages. There is, of course, a young romance between the two main characters that can be annoying at times but the majority of the book focuses on The Believers' rise and fall as a society which is extremely fascinating. I would recommend this work to any person interested in distopian literature regardless of age.

-DLP

Reading Challenge Update: the home stretch

I finished Margart Atwood's Bluebeard's Egg earlier this week, for which I wrote an initial reaction here. The remaining stories were very different in tone than the first few that I had read. While I enjoyed them all and have a deep respect for Margart Atwood, I was somewhat disappointed. Many of the other stories focus on relationships between men and women that are complicated by the woman's struggle for an independent identity from the marriage and home life. Several of the stories explore unhappy marriages or women who remain unmarried for fear of the impact of marriage on their identity. In "The Sunrise" a female artist stalks men who she finds interesting looking, draws them and occasionally becomes briefly romantically involved with them. She never remains with one man for very long and often expresses dissatisfaction when the man becomes too attached to her or the relationship. In the title story, "Bluebeard's Egg," the female protagonist feels her husband is incredibly stupid about everyday life, even though she implies he is a brilliant brain surgeon. Because of his stupidity regarding life's banalities, she assumes he is faithful and loves her blindly, but suddenly doubts everything at a dinner party when she witnesses her husband with his hand on a friend's backside. In these stories Atwood explores the complications when couples do not communicate or refuse to be clear about their needs and wants. Atwood's female characters strive to define themselves in their own terms, only to reveal in the narrative that their identities are truly outlined by the male figures in their lives.

I consider Bluebeard's Egg as a folklore/folktale example in the reading challenge because it really addressed the folklore of modern life. In "Loulou," the title character is a successful potter who is exploited by several poets who live off her generosity and earnings. Loulou describes the ways in which these poets define her, relating the folklore of Loulou that these men imagine. The poets see Loulou a certain way and only want to relate to her in that manner, so that she must adjust her mood to present the folklore of Loulou's identity. This idea continues in "Bluebeard's Egg" when the narrator de-emphasizes her interest in her adult education classes so as to create a certain image of herself - the wife of a brain surgeon. Furthermore, the class in which she is enrolled is a storytelling class, focusing on various styles, particularly the oral tradition. I enjoyed that this text extended the idea of oral tradition and folklore into a modern setting because we all do create a kind of folklore about ourselves - the funny guy, the serious girl - and struggle to find how this lore and legend of selfhood reflect our true selves. However, I was disappointed by the change in tone from the first two stories because they played on the idea of modern folklore of families, with humor and heart. Many of the ensuing stories felt more analytical about the politics of sex, which I did not expect. Any collection of stories will feature pieces with different tone, but I loved the first direction of Bluebeard's Egg and thus was disappointed by the change. Overall I do recommend Bluebeard's Egg for its intelligently creative examination of how men and women interact and engage.

In other reading challenge news, I started my final book in the challenge, Robert Coover's Pinocchio in Venice, for the fairytale section. In college I was first introduced to Robert Coover's style in a class on Postmodern American Short Stories, so I knew before I started that this book is a complex read. In Pinocchio in Venice, Pinocchio is a grown man, a world renown scholar who returns to his birthplace and finds he is turning back into wood. Throughout the text there are several references to the original story of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, which I strongly recommend reviewing first. My only reference prior to picking up Coover's book was the 1940s Disney film, which strays a great deal from the original (when doesn't a Disney version?) I read the summary of Collodi's text on wikipedia and it aided my understanding greatly. I've read about 100 pages of Coover's text thus far, which serves as an introduction to the adult Pinocchio and his present circumstances. Pinocchio spends a few chapters recounting parts of his life story to two of his long lost friends and a basic knowledge of the plot in Collodi's text served as a great reference. Coover's language is rich in metaphor and paradoxical descriptions, juxtaposed with harsh and often violent imagery. The Venice Coover builds for Pinocchio is cold and filled with trickery - of the eye and by others. The world is mean and unforgiving as Pinocchio makes his life's journey come full circle. The back cover describes Coover's work as a "discussion on what is means to be human," which perfectly echos the original story of Pinocchio as well. Pinocchio wants to be a real boy, but he must first learn what it means to be a respectful human being, by bargaining before granting his wish, the fairy with blue hair teaches him valuable life lessons. More later when I finish the book!

- KER

Book Review: Embroideries

Marjane Satrapi has done it again! I have no idea how she can keep using the same family characters over and over again and yet they never get boring and they always seem to have more to give to the reader. Unlike her other memoirs, Embroideries focuses entirely on the women in her family.

The "story" begins with an explanation on how Iranian tea is made and its ability to bring people together in order to talk and share experiences. It is the sharing of these women's experiences that drives this book. Satrapi's mother, grandmother, cousins, aunts, and various other relatives discuss losing their virginity, the hazards of marriage, and the pleasures of being a mistress. Some women even discuss the liberation and sexual freedom that is felt from divorceThough little is told about each character's life, outside of her sexual experiences, it gives more than a glimpse into the sex lives of women in Tehran. Many of the women have had similar sexual histories, but each has her own interpretation and tells it with her own specific flair.

Though the subject matter is obviously sexual, Satrapi is able to discuss these issues without using any profanity or excessively crude language. Despite the fact that sex is the focus of the graphic novel, it is actually about sexuality in general and how is changes throughout a woman's life.

Unlike many other graphic novels, this story is not told in boxes of strips. Instead, it is drawn more like a sketch of a conversation in which there are drawings of many people on one page with speech bubbles going back and forth without being confined to a box. I previously referred to it as a "story" because there is no driving plot and really not much action at all. As shown through the artwork, the driving force of the novel is a conversation or discussion about sexaulity. Therefore, there is no need to have an explicit beginning, middle of end. Instead, each character's story merges into another to make a cacophony of voices.

I found this to be one of Satrapi's greatest works. Readers of hers will remember the characters from her other works, but they appear to be completely different in this book. Though they are not out of character, the reader certainly gets a different view that is not seen in any of her previous works. It is refreshing, interestings, enlightening, enjoyable, and most of all very endearing.

-DLP

Book Review: Bookhunter

I have to say that as a graduate student in the Library Science field, I am extremely disappointed in the lack of books about librarians. Personally, I think that we're some of the most avid readers and yet there are so few good books about libraries and their librarians. Fortunately, Bookhunter by Jason Shiga has stepped up to the plate to write a graphic novel about libraries and books and he has done an excellent job!

The main character is a special agent who only takes cases that involve books and libraries. He is like the old tv show "Dragnet" but for the literary world. His team is made up for a male scientist who is the stereotpical nerd and a quirky female scientist whose speciality is fingerprints. Similar to the current tv show "CSI" the Bookhunter and his staff hace a lab that is specifically for the investigation of book forgeries, fraud, and theft.

The plot is simple but humorous. The Bookhunter is called to the Oakland Public Library to investigate a theft of John Quincy Adams' bible. The bible was said to have been given to Adams by the Mendi tribe as a thanks for helping them with the Amistad trial. It is believed that the book in the display case is a forgery and that the authentic bible was stolen by a book dealer or seller. The team goes on a crazy chase to find the culprit and investigates using records of libary cards, old microfilm and the Dewey Decimal system.

This graphic novel is not deep or introspective but it is a alot of fun! I was able to finish it in one sitting and laughed most of the time. Though the Bookhunter is not a superhero, it is great to see how he uses his "super powers" (aka knowledge about libraries) to find the criminal. It is light-hearted and the perfect read for any libarian, library lover, or book enthusiast.

-DLP

Book Review: Miss Don't Touch Me

Originally published in France, Miss Don't Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet is a graphic novel about two sisters who work as the maids to an aristocratic woman until the murder of one of the sisters causes the remaining sibling to go on a hunt for her sister's killer. This graphic novel is a classic who-dunnit but is for mature audiences ONLY for it includes a great deal of violence and sexual content.

Set in the 1903s, Agnes is a carefree girl who spends her nights dancing with various men out in the suburbs of Paris. Even when everyone in the city becomes alarmed by a serial killer known as "The Butcher of the Dances", Agnes refuses to give up her wayward ways. Agnes' sister, Blanche, is a worrywart who keeps herself sheltered from the seedy side of society. One night, the sisters hear two people killing a woman in the room next to theirs. When Agnes goes to investigate, one of the killers shoots her. While Blanche runs to her employer to get the police, the murder plants a gun on Agnes' body making it look like suicide. No one believes Blanche that her sister was murdered and did not commit suicide, so Blanche takes it upon herself to find her sister's killer. In order to find out more about "The Butcher of the Dances" and get closer to discovering her sister's killer, Blanche becomes a dominatrix at the most prestigious brothel in Paris.

Though the characters in the brothel are interesting, the sexual content alienates the reader to the point of feeling uncomfortable. Of course some "R" rated sexuality is to be expected in a graphic novel in which prostitutes are the main characters, however, this graphic novel seems to be more GRAPHIC and less novel. The plot is the typical murder mystery with the killer revealed at the end but to little applause because of the cliched characters and commonplace storyline. One feature that is nice is the printing which was done on glossy paper with full color pictures. This is rare with graphic novels and thus was a treat! However, the beautiful and colorful graphics could not hold up the limp storyline and characters.

I think it's clear from this review that anyone who enjoys a good thriller or murder mystery would find this piece to be interesting. For those who want a fast read without much heavy lifting, this is the graphic novel for you! If you are looking for deep characters, complex plots, and a book that challenges your intellect...then leave this one on the shelf and try for some of the other graphic novels reviewed on this blog.

-DLP

Book Review: Chicken and Plums

Author Marjane Satrapi is known for the best selling Persepolis and its film adaptation. However, her excellence as an author and artist does not end there. Last year she wrote another memoir-esque book titled Chicken and Plums which follows the last week of her uncle's life. The graphic novel tells the story of her uncle Naser Aki Khan whose wife breaks his favorite instrument. After searching for a new instrument of the same quality, he realizes that there is none that will satisfy him. Having some to this realization, he decides that he will die and locks himself in his room for eight days before he finally passes. The graphic novel illustrates these last several days which include flashbacks to his troubled childhood, lost love, and marriage. These flashbacks give a helpful backstory to his current relationships with his wife, brother, sister, and children all of whom come to his bedside and try to persuade him to live. Overall, the novel can be summarized by the statement that one of his friends makes "to live, it's not enough to be alive". Though Nasser Aki Khan has lived a life, his flashbacks and reflections show that he may never have been alive.

Though the story is simplistic and the ending is told within the first few pages, it is truly a musing on life and the importance of living. The drawings are equally simplistic but are beautiful and typical of Satrapi's style. Similar to her other books, with the exception of Persepolis, few events actually occur. Yet, the drama is within the characters and their relationships with each other. Perhaps what is most astonishing, is that all of the characters in her novels are not only factual but they are all within her own family. Though her characters are uniquely her own, one can easily identify with certain people and recognize themselves or loved ones in her characterizations. At only 96 pages this is the shortest of her books, readers should not disregard it. In fact, it is just as powerful and moving as her longer novels and resonates with the reader weeks after one has finished reading. Satrapi is able to give the reader a snapshot of only a few days in a person's life and yet make the reader feel as if he/she has been the witness to his entire life and corresponding relationships. Thus by reflecting on Nasser's life, the reader is also reflecting on his/er own.

Obviously, I would recommend this to an Satrapi fan. Consequently, I would also recommend it to those who were a bit put off by the political issues in Persepolis but still enjoyed her graphic style and her way of storytelling. In many ways, it is hard to recommend Satrapi's work to others because it is so unique in art and text. However, I do believe that any philosophy fans or readers who enjoy psychologically twisted characters would find this work to be a wonderful piece to discuss and debate with like-minded friends (or even just to contemplate with yourself).

-DLP

Once Upon a Time Update: Fairy Tales

The last genre in the Once Upon a Time challenge is Fairy Tales. Being that I have already read one novel, one play, and one non-fiction books, I decided that I would choose a graphic novel. By reading all different kinds of books as was as different genres, I have explored deeper into this "Once Upon a Time" theme and have been able to witness it from various literary positions. Therefore, I chose the graphic novel Castle Waiting by Linda Medley.

Castle Waiting brings together a diverse collection of fairy tales from all of the traditional authors such as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc. The story centers around the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty, however, the reader soon experiences some twists that leads the reader into other fairy tales and their characters. When Sleeping Beauty arises from her hundred year slumber, she finds her prince and runs away with him instead of staying in her own kingdom. Her parents died the same day in a carriage accident which leaves the entire kingdom without a ruler and causes it to fall into disrepair. When a young pregnant woman flees her own kingdom, she decides to seek refuge in Castle Waiting (the dilapidated kingdom from Sleeping Beauty). On the way she meets fighting horses, talking bears, dwarfs, gypsies, thieves, evil witches, and magical badgers.

As a graphic novel, it reads more like a comic book. The drawings are interesting, but not as intricate or meaningful as those of other graphic novels. The inter connectivity of the traditional fairy tales and their characters make for a great story. However, at over 450 pages, the novel is about twice as long as it should be. The reason for this could be because it was originally published in serials and was recently reprinted in one bound collection. Still, the story begins to lag at times and the enchantment of the fairy tale is not as captivating as it could be. Of course, this is no reason to abandon the graphic novel. It still sheds a unique light on fairy tales and the comedy of some of the graphics make for a humorous twist.

I would recommend this to any fairy tale "junkie" who loves anthologies of the great fairy tales. I, personally, found it interesting to see traditional characters pop up in various places. In addition, the story is geared more towards young adults and adults and not children. For this reason, some of the characters that are one-sided in the traditional tales (such as the wicked witch) are given a bit more development. If you are a fan of retelling of fairy and folk tales, then you will be pleased with what Medley has done

-DLP

Murder and Mayhem in Boston

Last Thursday, the Rompers attended a lecture that was given by Brookline Adult Education titled "Murder and Mayhem in Boston". The speaker was from Boston By Foot, a non-profit organization that was founded in 1976 with the mission to "to promote public awareness of Boston's rich architectural and historical heritage through its guided tours, lecture series, and other activities". They have a plethora of tours that are given all across Boston from the North End, to Beacon Hill, and Back Bay. All of the docents are volunteers who have completed a six week course that includes writing four papers and passing an exam, making each volunteer much more than just your average tour guide. Even when the guides are brought off of the walking trails, such was the case with this lecture, they are still extremely engaging and incredibly knowledgable.

The woman who gave the lecture at Brookline Adult Education told various stories that even those who were born and raised in Boston were unfamiliar with. To being with, she told of Boston's "Hanging Elm Tree" which was located in the Boston Common. When someone committed an act that was punishable by death, the police would escort the perpetrated to the Commons where hundreds of people would be gathered to watch the public hanging. Many would come with a picnic lunch and bring their children along for the "entertainment".

In Boston, there were very few witch trials or hangings. However, she did tell of one "witch" from the North End named Goody Glover who was a maid for a wealthy family. Glover was a maid to a wealthy family and when her employer accused Glover's daughter of stealing linens, Glover revealed that it was in fact her employer's daughter who commited the crime. The employer's daughter went into a fit and Glover was charged with witchcraft and hanged.

Fast forwarding about two hundred years, brought us to Parkman Murder in which a Boston real estate giant was murdered by a Harvard University professor. For days, Mr. Parkman's murder went unsolved until a Harvard University janitor discovered Mr. Parkman's jaw in an incenorator. The professor was brought to trial which created a huge sensation. The Boston Police even sold tickets to the trial and changed the audience every ten minutes in order for the police to make a greater revenue.

More recently, in the 1960s, was the "Debutante Murder" in which a young hieress living on Beacon Hill murdered her boyfriend. The girl, a niece of Montgomery Cliff, was living with her grandmother on Beacon Hill when she discovered that her Brazilian boyfriend had impregnanted her and refused to be wed. When her grandmother left to vacation on Cape Cod, the girl invited her boyfriend over and killed him. She then took off pieces of his body, packed them in seven pieces of luggage, and brought with her to Brazil where she buried the body parts that she had harvested from her boyfriend. When she returned to the United States, she went to her general practitioner and declared herself insane. She was able to carry the baby to term, was eventually released from the mental hospital and now lives in Texas with her husband.

Of course, the lecture included old Boston favorites such as "The Great Fire", "The Great Molasses Flood", and "The Boston Strangler".

The entire lecture was fantastic. The stories were perfect for the Halloween spirit and told with great enthusiasm. Forutnately, the speaker was excited about the subject matter which made the lecture even more entertaining. She was equally interested in answering questions as she was in hearing other people's interpretations of these much loved tales. Overall, she was an excellent speaker and the stories that she chose to include were perfect!

-DLP

Book Review: George Sprott by Seth

George Sprott by Seth is an oversized graphic novel that was first serialized in the New York Times Magazine and tells of Sprott's life as seen through the eyes of his colleagues, family members, friends, and foes. Sprott was a local televison showhost in Canada who was once a sensation but has since become dull and overstayed his welcome at the network. Within the first few pages of the novel, the reader discovers that Sprott is going to die of old age.

This graphic novel moves a lot slower than some of his other works and is not as interesting. Though the story may not be that interesting, the graphics and arrangement of pictures are incredibly intriguing. The novel is presented almost like a scrapbook with each page detailing a different day or time in his life. Some of the segments are memories from his past as a poor boy in a dysfunctional family. Others are memories from his journey to Antarctica and the film that he shot while there. Interspersed with his own memories, are those of his colorful friends, family members, and co-workers.

Personally, I thought that this work was a bit disappointing. The narrator is extremly informal which is comical at times and irritating at others. Though the art is wonderful, there is little action and no plot that fuels the art. Being that I am a fan of Seth, I found this work more telling about him than about the actual characters. Still, it was not autobigraphical in the way that It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken is. Though it is not his best, it is still interesting.

-DLP

Book Review: Thirteenth Tale

Over a year ago, I tried to read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Yet, I only made it through two chapters before I gave up. I found the tale to be too boring and neither the characters nor the plot drew me into the story. I had read numerous reviews that praised the novel for being a contemporary Gothic tale and so I found the audiobook for this novel and decided to give it another shot!

This is a tale about woman who works with her father in an antiquarian book store until she has sent a letter from a famous English writer asking the woman to write the writer's autobiography. The writer, Vera Winter, is an elusive woman who has hidden her personal life and history from her thousands and thousands of fans. However, Winter is now terminally ill and wants to have her entire story told. Winter's story is intertwined with that of the woman writing the biography and the two stories expose the hidden truths, in both of their lives, that have laid dormant for decades. Issues surrounding illegitimate children, incestuous desires, "twinness", and other gothic elements are woven into these parallel plots.

It is written within the Gothic tradition with overly rich writing that is reminiscent of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights (if even includes the burning down of a house!). While the writing and word choice is extremely discriminating and resonates throughout the pages, the characters fall flat and uninteresting. The most interesting characters in the story are only present in the first fourth of the novel. For the rest of the story, the characters are stereotypical and the plot turns can be seen a hundred pages away. While many reviews praised the novel for being reminiscent of the classic Gothic tales, I found that the book had more or less stolen the Gothic elements from other tales and had not developed them into the author's own story or craft.

In regards to the audiobook, I found the narrators to be exceptional. Though the story was dull and quickly became boring, it was the narrators who kept me listening. Their voices were enchanting and their reading of the story added more to the book than the actual text. However, not even the narrators could save me from the disappointment I felt when I reached the cliched ending. Overall, if you love Gothic fiction, you may be interested to read this book for the language and the allusions to Gothic classics. Yet, if you are looking for something comparable to Jane Eyre or other captivating classics, you have more luck just rereading the classics.



-DLP

DystopYA Update: Messenger

As a young adult I read Lowis Lowry's The Giver and fell in love with the story and dystopian fiction. However, it was not until I joined this challenge that I discovered that The Giver is actually part of a trilogy that continues the story into two other books. Unlike other series, "The Giver Trilogy" consists of three separate books that tell three very different stories. They only commonality is that characters from one novel appear in the other two. However, you do not need to read all three in order to understand the dystopian society that is being protrayed or to understand the characters and their development.

 For the challenge, I decided to read the third book in the series titled The Messenger. In this story, a young boy is living in a place called Village which is led by the main character from The Giver (do not worry, I won't spoil either of these books!). The town appears to be a utopian society, much like a commune, in which each person is given a job that fits their personality and life goals while also benefiting the entire community. Matty, the main character, came to Village when he was a young boy and was taken in by a man named Seer who teaches Matty how to act and tames his unruly ways. Though when Matty first arrived Village was welcoming, it is now becoming hostile and many villagers have decided to close Village to any newcomers. Before this decree can be issued, Matty must traverse Forest, find Seer's daughter and bring her back to Village. Throughout the book, the reader is given hints to why the villagers have changed and how dangerous Village and Forest are becoming due to this change.

There is also an element of science fiction in which the characters have magical traits. For example, Matty is able to heal the sick, Leader is able to see events that are occurring far away, and Kira can see into the future. Fortunately, unlike other science fiction books, these magical traits do not make the tale unrealistic. Instead, they are presented as common traits that are merely fine tuned or embellished a bit. In other words, they add to the story without taking anything away from the powerful plot and moral.

This is far more than a young adult book. While the characters are intriguing, Village and Forest are perhaps the most important "characters" in the novel. Their development is what truly makes this a dystopian novel. In many ways, it reminded me of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in which the forest becomes an active character that responds to the evil that is occurring in the world. The structure of this trilogy reminded me a great deal of William Faulkner's Snopes family trilogy, in which the books can be read separately but also share characters. Many reviewers have stated that this book is the darkest in the triogy and I found that assessment to be valid. However, I found the solemn tone of the novel to be one of its greatest features. In many dystopian novels, the main characters are able to escape the dystopian society or help to change the society back to a more friendly environment. Yet, I have always wondered about those societys that do not or can not be changed. This book deals with this issue and does so in a wonderful and touchy way.

-DLP

Challenge Update: Folklore

For my folklore selection, I chose to read a nonfiction book by Zora Neale Hurston titled Go Gator and Muddy the Water. The book is a collection of writings that Hurston did while working in Florida for the Federal Writers' Project. Perhaps one of the bset features of the book is that the entire first half is a biographical essay on Hurston's time working for the FWP. Pamela Bordelon, the edited of the book and author of the essay, came upon Hurston's writing by accident when she was looking to write a book about Floridian folklore. When she came across the FWP papers she noticed that the majority of the stories and interviews were in a familiar hand and written in a manner that she recognized to be Hurston's writing. After confirming that it was Hurston's notes and essays, she went to Hurston's niece and the two worked together to write an essay about Hurston's time working for the Federal Writer's Project.

The second half of the book are a sampling of Hurston's writings from the FWP. This collection only includes folklore and tales from Florida and the West Indies. However, Hurston does not limit herself to merely the stories but also includes songs and art. Each folktale is preceeded an essay by Hurston explaining the history of the folktale and the importance of it in this specific culture. Preceeding Hurston's essay, is a short paragraph written by Bordelon explaining the biographical period in which Hurston wrote each of these essays.

In regards to folktales, the stories in this collection are rare and most people have probably not heard of them. That is to say, they are not Cinderella or Beauty in the Beast. Instead, they are much more "gritty" folktales that take place on inhumane plantations or in southern prisons. All of the tales are laden with superstitions that run the gamit from enormous animals to the hazards of not exhibiting proper behavior. Also included, are variations of certain tales such as "Uncle Monday" and "Daddy Mention". This is a great assesst because the reader can see how folktales have grown and been shaped over time as well as understand how each region has its own variation that caters to its own beliefs and superstitions.

Overall, I thought that this was a fantastic book (certainly one that I will be asking for for Christmas)! At  times the text seemed to be light on the folktales and heavy on the essays. Such as the chapter on the "Citrus Industry" and the essay on "Turpentine". However, I did not find these essays to be a hinderance to the overall book. Instead, I thought that they added a context that the average reader would be lacking had the essays not been provided. As previously stated, there was also a large range of mediums that were included in this collection. Bordelon included Hurston's essays and stories as well as transcripts from interviews and even lyrics to traditional songs. This helped to spice up the book a great deal and showed the importance of folktales and how it permeated almost all art forms. Still, clocking in at 200 pages (with 20 of those being footnotes and an index) this book is an incredibly compact collection. Fortuately, Hurston has a few books on folklore and the FWP. If you enjoyed this book, be sure to read Mules and Men as well as Tell My Horse. Both of these books are about the religion of Hoodoo and Voodoo and the folklore and superstitions that go along with that religion. The only issue that readers may encounter is that, unlike Go Gator and Muddy the Water, both of these works are written in dialect and therefore may take some more time to understand.

-DLP

Nothing on TV?

Sometimes there is just nothing good on tv - too many reruns, too much sports, not enough well-written drama - and the list continues. Candid culture has a few suggestions, which are all easily accessed through your local library.

Cirque du Soleil presents fascinating, wildly complex and highly entertaining performances. Productions like "Kouza"and "Love" tour internationally. Find out what it takes to train, create and produce an original Cirque du Soleil production in "Cirque du Soleil Fire Within," a unique 13 episode documentary that follows performers through the grueling training process through the premiere and start of the world tour of of "Varekai," created in 2002. Tensions run high as performers are cut and new, highly expert athletes are flown in at the last minute to replace them. Not many of the actual performance "tricks" are shown in detail, but human drama runs rampant. This documentary follows a few of the performers very closely, exploring the effect of training on personal relationships and life at home after a 14 hour day at the Cirque center. The drama trails off after "Varekai" premieres, but the first 10-12 episodes are fascinating.

However, if you watch the video performance of "Varekai" in hopes of seeing the excitement come to life and tie all the little pieces together, know that "Fire Within" provided very limited glimpses of the entire production. Viewing a Cirque du Soleil performance on film lacks the urgency of the live production. The acts featured in "Fire Within" are few and far between. Only the triple trapzee act truly delivers the grace, artistry and excitement presented in "Fire Within." Several of the other acts simply do not translate well to film.

Opera lovers should check out U-Carmen, a 2005 version of Bizet's classic, set in a modern South African township. Translated in Xhosa and set to Bizet's score, U-Carmen is a compelling interpretation of the class conflict present in the original score, made urgent and universal against the South African setting. Bizet's themes run deep into the struggle of the poorer classes in a hierarchical society and have a presence in the modern world.

Instead of watching the same old tired DVDs when nothing is on, what new story did you discover? What other videos should candid culture check out?

Reading Challenge Update: Folklore

I started my next book for the challenge yesterday and I am enjoying it so much! I am reading Margaret Atwood's Bluebeard's Egg and Other Stories, in which the title plays on the famous story of Bluebeard, the wealthy man who murdered his wives. Atwood's collection, however, explores the folklore of our individual lives. In the two stories I finished, a woman remembers her mother's favorite family stories. I loved these stories because Atwood creates colorful characters that are unique, yet could be found in any family. Every family has classic stories that everyone knows and loves to hear (or hates) over and over at holidays or reunions.

The matriarch of these stories recounts tales from her own youth as well as those of her children. Family stories are fascinating because they reveal so much about our individual roots and how we fit into the fabric of history. In family folklore, who owns the story? Is everyone in the family his or her own bard of the family story? Folklore is often an oral history and Atwood's method of a mother telling and re-telling family tales serves as a perfect framing device in Bluebeard's Egg. In addition to Atwood's interesting repositioning of folklore, some of the anecdotes in both "Significant Moments in the Life of My Mother" and "Hurricane Hazel" are hilarious, leaving me chuckling to myself on the train into work. My personal favorite:

"If my mother had any reservations about being left alone on a remote farm with a three-year-old, no telephone, no car, no electricity, and only me for help, she didn't state them. She had been in such situations before, and by that time she must have been used to them. Whatever was goign on she treated as normal; in the middle of crises, such as cars stuck up to their axles in mus, she would suggest we sing a song." (27)

For some reason this image reminds me of Cheaper by the Dozen about the large Gilbreth family and my own mother reading it aloud to me and my brother, laughing through each silly incident. Families all have their eccentricities, but the families who know how to turn them into fun stories and personalized folklore know how to make life interesting.

Do you have great family folklore? Share it with candid culture by posting in the comments section or emailing ireadcandidculture@gmail.com. We'd love to hear your crazy family stories and maybe we'll share some of ours!

- KER

Book Recommendation: Mr. Mani by A.B. Yehoshua

I read Mr. Mani this fall over the past few months in between other books and I strongly recommend it. I wish I remained focused when I first started this book because I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Yehoshua explores the identity of being Jewish in Jerusalem and the sense of place through a multi-generational story spiraling backwards in time. Mr. Mani is told in a series of conversations in which only one side is heard and often the Mani family is encountered and not involved in the conversation, excepting the final chapter. The story opens in 1982 and moves back to 1848. What I loved about this book was piecing together the bits of history I learned about a prior generational of Manis in each conversation, which is why I wish I had read this book all at once. I think I could have drawn the lines better myself, but Yehoshua offers brief biographical information about the key players in each conversation as well as supplements at the conclusion to provide further insight and extend the life of the characters beyond that particular conversation.

While the conversations are fascinating, part of my struggle to read this book falls on the structure. I read a lot during my commute to and from work, which is only about 30 minutes. The conversations in Mr. Mani are at least 50 pages long and often complicated. I tended to get lost and forget small details, forcing me to re-read a page or two to reorient myself within the story. If you decide to read this book, try to do so when you will have the time to read an entire conversation. Yehoshua sees this novel as an exploration of Jewish identity, but there is plenty of family scandal and angst to keep every reader interested until the final pages.

- KER

A fairer word about "Thrillers and Killers" and some thoughts on writing

I spent more time thinking about the authors I heard speak at Boston Bookfest's panel on "Thrillers and Killers" and while I felt like they did not delivered an interesting discussion on the serial killer narrative or what it is like to research the innerworkings of a pyscho-path, I do think they all had interesting points on the art of writing. All three authors spoke about being fascinated by the topic, but each has different methods. Andre Dubus III likened himself to a vessel that accepts the story as it enters his mind and when his writing session ends for the day, distancing himself from whatever the text reads. Contrastingly, Joe Finder implied his method involved more planning and preparation, indicating that he dreads writing particular scenes that depict violence. While Finder and Dubus portray the violence of the killers their stories feature, Stephen Carter leaves all that action "off-screen." The decisions of what to portray, when and how to write it are particularly interesting to me as I was recently reading an interview with one of my favorite authors, John Irving.

I have read before that Irving often writes the last sentence of his novels first and then works his way there from the beginning. On the "Thrillers and Killers" panel Joe Finder also indicated that he writes endings first and then tackles the beginning. I like this because it lends solid direction to the story. In Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys, the primary character is in the process of finishing a novel that over time became a sprawling, multi-generational story that never ends. By writing the ending first, the author can stay the course and keep the finish in sight.

Irving also discussed how the subjects for his books surface. While the writers on the "Thrillers and Killers" panel are inspired by what they do not know much about and want to learn more, Irving proves more inrospective and curious to explore his past. Though his novels are not entirely autobiographical, Irving uses writing as a catalyst to process events and periods in his life, but only after he has gained distance from when such events occurred;


I'm a slow processor. I wrote my Vietnam novel, "Owen Meany," 20 years after the war; I needed to wait that long to know what about that period of time still made me angry. I purposely set my abortion novel back in the '30s and '40s—just to distance my story from the current politics surrounding the abortion subject, and to make the novel have the authority of an historical document. Similarly, I wrote my most autobiographical novel—about my childhood, my premature sexual experience, my missing and undiscussed father—when I was already in my late fifties (when I began Until I Find You); I was in my sixties when I finished the book.
Until I Find You would have been a very different novel if I'd written it when I was still living through the consequences of my childhood, and of my life as a teenager, or even as a young man in his twenties or thirties. But I was long past those times; I could make up more of the story, I could take many more liberties—I could exaggerate, which is what novels do so well. You cannot build on your past experiences in fiction if you are still muddling through those experiences—you need some hindsight.
- http://www.nashvillescene.com/2008-11-06/news/john-irving-the-scene-interview/2


I really like the way Irving talks about the distance he needs from his life to then write about it in an effective way, which leads me to another book related adventure upon which the rompers embarked.

We attended a book reading by first time and self published author Amy Julia Becker. She read from Penelope Ayers: a memoir at a small event arranged by an arts group at the Park Street Church. While Becker was friendly and enthusiastic to share her story with the audience, it became clear very quickly that she was still developing her craft as a writer. Penelope Ayers is a memoir written from Becker's perspective about her mother in law's battle with cancer. Becker depicts a broken and hurting family brought together in spiritual healing when one of their own falls victim to a terminal disease. The Christian faith plays a large role in the healing process as does the unbreakable bonds of lifelong friendship resurfacing in times of need. Though Irving writes fiction and Becker writes memoir the comparison between the two relates to the time that passes before publishing a work. Becker experienced the time of turmoil and upheaval featured in her book in the earlier part of this decade. The memoir serves as a processing tool and from what we heard of the text, it is too soon to share. While Becker feels like she has a story to tell, she is still too close to the subject matter - essentially, the wounds are still fresh and without allowing them to scab over, Becker gains no perspective on the events.


From the selections Becker read, she revealed herself to be a new writer in that details she choose to describe seemed irrelevant. Though Becker spoke about her writing process what she hoped readers could gain from the story, the story itself seemed unfocused. Described as "Set in pre-Katrina New Orleans, Penelope Ayers unfolds against the backdrop of one of the world’s most vibrant cities," Becker juxtaposes her story with an extremely volatile period in recent American history and that seems unnecessary. The selections she read indicated no actual connection to Hurricane Katrina, so why reference it? Katrina evokes so many specific images and emotions in the American public, it seems strange to layer that cultural memory onto a personal family story. Additionally, Becker mentioned other themes like the clash of family culture within a marriage (her husband grew up in New Orleans, she grew up in New England), restoration of faith when faced with a seeming lack of God (cancer exists), yet these themes seemed underdeveloped.

However, we are both eager to read the book to determine if what we gathered from the reading is true. At the time it seemed to us that Becker needs more distance from the events she recounted as well as time to develop herself as a writer. We saw a great deal of potential in her and would like to see the story evolve. Furthermore, the setting was relaxed, but engaging as the audience asked several questions at the end and clearly felt compassion towards the hardship Becker and her family endured. We will report back when we have read the text in full!

In conclusion, the rompers are eager to try out a brand new author, but recognize that seasoned folks like John Irving truly understand the craft and dig deep to find a worthy story. Even though Dani hates most books by John Irving, she too loved his thoughts on the popularity of reading:

The bestseller list in the U.S. doesn't only reflect what we read. That list is a reflection of how backward we are as a culture. We are anti-intellectual, we don't value the arts, and we don't sufficiently support education. President Bush made sounding stupid actually comforting to many Americans. Look at the rush of instant identification that many Americans felt for Governor Palin; she was mean, she was poorly informed, she spoke badly. I said to my wife, after watching Palin's debate with Senator Biden, that I could only think of one question that woman might not duck—one she actually might answer, even with enthusiasm. Here's the question. I have never field-dressed a moose, but—in my deer-hunting days—I have field-dressed deer, and I would have liked to ask the perky Alaskan if the process is more or less the same. (Only a lot bigger!) I could easily imagine Gov. Palin's eyes brightening; an onslaught of pre-orgasmic winking might have ensued. "Ya know," she might have begun, "ya just gotta make a big slit from the critter's brisket to its crotch, and ya gotta reach way the heck up and grab hold of the rectum. Ya can't let the feces fall out and get all over the meat, ya know. But there's really nothin' to it. It's just a moose—it's not a Russian, or somethin'!" I think that pretty much covers what the governor might say in answer to that question, except that she probably wouldn't use the feces word—if ya know what I mean.
- http://www.nashvillescene.com/2008-11-06/news/john-irving-the-scene-interview/3

So, whether you love a serial killer narrative, an introspective fiction as an exploration of one's life, or a memoir, keep reading! In other candid culture news: more to come on future and present reading challenges as well as a lecture on famous murders in Boston! That's right, the rompers are a little blood-thirsty around Halloween!!
 

- KER

Is "Carmen" Too Hot to Live?

Boston Lyric Opera's new production of Bizet's Carmen opens this coming Friday, November 6th. In anticipation, I read the original source material for the infamous title character, Proper Merimee's novella, Carmen. The novella is quite different from anything I have heard about the opera. The text serves as a meditation on gypsies in general with the story of one gypsy as an example of the people. Merimee's narrator recounts the story as told to him by Don Jose. From what I understand, in both the opera and the novella, Don Jose becomes enchanted by Carmen and cannot shake himself of his lust for her. In the novella he joins her gypsy band and jealously follows her from city to city. In the novella, while Don Jose expresses his passion for Carmen, the reader is never privy to her thoughts and the heat does not jump off the page. While I have yet to see the opera, BLO advertises that it is "too hot to live" and indicates this will be a sexy drama. Like reading so many original sources or backstories where the characters or pieces of the story has become far more famous that the original, Merimee's Carmen is slightly disappointing when compared to the cultural image of that gypsy woman. However, the novella is a delightfully quick read in its own right and I am sure will prove an excellent source of comparison this Friday night.

http://blo.org/2009-2010_carmen.html

- KER